Elvis Presley’s ‘Elvis At Stax’ Box Set Gets More Great Reviews!

Elvis At Stax would be a landmark release simply for bringing the Stax masters together. …But the box set adds 27 outtakes and alternate takes that allow listeners to trace the evolution of a song. This is a fly-on-the-wall experience, with plenty of stops, starts and in-studio chatter. …Elvis at Stax offers a rare and immersive look at how Presley, producer Felton Jarvis, and their talented band developed each song into a memorable recording. Elvis is frequently looser on these early takes, and sometimes more tentative; the rolling tape captures him joking around, but also fiercely committed to getting each song just right. – The Second Disc

Presley sounds loose and inspired. Although his band isn’t the Stax go-to guys, his own musicians, many from his touring band including guitarist James Burton, were top shelf. The remastered audio is sharply defined and it’s a treat to have all of these sides collated under one cover for historical perspective. Comprehensive recording information is another plus and the outtakes show how much fun Elvis was having with material he personally chose for the first time in a long while. All told this a classy and worthy addition. Four stars. – American Songwriter

Elvis At Stax is so valuable: taken as a whole, these 1973 sessions are revealed as his last great blast of creativity in the recording studio. …The preponderance of alternate takes are not tedious, but rather show Elvis’ good humor and creativity as he tries out slightly different approaches on each take. What impresses is Presley’s virtuosity and how he cannily constructed his performances to seem effortless: there’s sweat fueling these tight, punchy renditions, and heart behind his ballads, and you can hear him work it all out on the alternate takes, then reach full flight on the finished masters. …This triple-disc, alternate-laden box lays it out plain and it’s a joy to behold. Four stars. – AllMusic

Elvis At Stax is the box set for people who thought they didn’t need box sets anymore, a return to the sensibility that music doesn’t just float around the internet any old way it pleases — that there’s inherent value in having it organized and annotated by industry wonks and historians who know their subject inside and out. … From the front-loading of souped-up funk tracks on disc one, through the sequestering of outtakes into “R&B and Country Sessions” and “Pop Sessions,” this collection is the opposite of a slapped-together cash-in; it’s thoughtful, provocative and steeped in love and lore, asking listeners to do no less than stitch together the monumental variety of Elvis’s influences, from choir rafter-raisers to good-time road songs to honky-tonk teardrop shedders. Five stars. – eMusic